How to Teach Your Child to Keep His College Dorm Room Clean

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How to Teach Your Child to Keep His College Dorm Room Clean
by Amy Southerland

Is your child getting ready for college? Does he still have a hard time keeping his room clean? Is this starting to sound like a sales pitch? Well, don't worry. This is not a sales pitch, but it is a wake-up call. Your teen is about to start his new life in college, but he is going to need your help. You need to teach him how to organize his college dorm room and keep it that way.

While there are many reasons why he needs a clean dorm room, one of the greatest reasons is because it will help him study. Disorganization can really affect how your mind works. A clean room will ensure that your teen is in a calm and relaxing area, allowing him to fully concentrate on his studies.

Here are some tips to help you teach your child how to keep his college dorm room clean.

Unless he is lucky, there is a good chance that he will have roommates. Even if your child is organized, his roommates may not be organized. You need to make sure that your child will have the courage to talk with his roommates about keeping the room organized. A simple cleaning plan may be more than enough.

While most people assume that moving items into a neat place is enough organization, it may still seem cluttered. If your child's room still seems messy after he has cleaned, there is a good chance that he needs to pack some items away. Luckily, there are inexpensive clear bins made special for college students. These bins come in different sizes and colors, meeting the needs of various people.

Your child may be used to using over-sized fans at night, but that's not going to work in college. Your child may need to settle for smaller versions of items that they are used to using, such as fans, mp3 players, video games and other items.

One of the most space-saving gadgets for college students is the Kindle. The Kindle allows students to have hundreds of books on one device, saving a great amount of bookshelf space.

Unfortunately, laziness is a major reason many rooms stay dirty. By having multiple trash cans in the room, particularly in heavily used areas, the amount of clutter should be diminished. When teens can easily throw something away, they are more inclined to do so. A trash can should be right next to his bed, desk and dresser. Of course, it helps if these things are right next to each other, reducing the need for multiple trashcans.

Hopefully these tips can help you teach your child to keep his dorm room clean this semester. Remember, a clean room is a happy room, and happy rooms make happy moms. Good luck to your child during this college season.

Amy Southerland is a career advisor and contributing writer for thebestdegrees.org, a site providing lists of regionally accredited online schools as well as rankings and reviews for the best degrees currently available.

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